The project «Stop the Wide rise of Euroscepticism Thanks to Citizens’ Debate» was funded with the support of the European Union under the Programme “Europe for Citizens”
Applicable to the Strand 2 – Measure 2.1 “Town-Twinning”
Participation: The Town Twinning Project “Stop the Wide rise of Euroscepticism Thanks to Citizens’ Debate”, promoted by the Municipality of Mandanici (Italy), it involved a total of 90 citizens from all over Europe: 22 participants from Hévízgyörk Község Önkormányzata (Hungary), 5 participants from Ayuntamiento de Rois (Spain), 19 participants from Lukovit Municipality (Bulgaria), 3 participants from Qrendi Local Council (Malta), 23 participants from Sverigeungerska Kvinnoförenid “Sissi” (Sweden) and 18 participants from Gmina Przygodzice (Poland).
Location/ Dates: The event of Town Twinning took place in Mandanici (Italy) from 04/12/2019 to 10/12/2019
Short description:
Event 1 have been carried out within this project:
Day I – 04/12/2019
was dedicated to Arrival of foreign delegation and Accommodation and Welcoming
Arrival of participants at Catania Airport and transfer to Mandanici. Welcome
Presentation of participants and organizations, in the presence of the Mayor, the Municipal Council and citizenship.
Accommodation
Evening: Typical Sicilian Welcome Dinner
Day II – 05/12/2019
was dedicated to Seminar + Press Conference + Exhibition / Debate
Morning
H9 / 12 Seminar – The future of the European Union and opportunities for young people. H 13 Lunch
H 17 Press conference to present the project in the presence of European journalists and communicators. Presentation of the Project, activities, goals and objectives and partnership. Exhibition / Debate “European institutions and democratic participation: The European Parliament from the universal Suffrage to today” – Know the past, analyze the present, plan the future.
H 20 Dinner
Day III – 06/12/2019
was dedicated to Interactive Workshop + Capacity Building + Intercultural Dinner Morning Interactive Workshop – Young people and the future of Europe: doubts and prospects for tomorrow’s citizens.
Discussion and Comparison H 13: Lunch
H 15: Capacity Building “What are the reasons for Euroscepticism?” the motivations that are at the base of the Euroscepticism with a survey to understand if it is a recent political phenomenon
H 20: Dinner and intercultural evening
Day IV – 07/12/2019
was dedicated to Brotherhood Oath + Round Table Signing Ceremony
Signing ceremony for the Oath Brotherhood, which establishes the brotherhood relationship between the Municipalities involved.
Presentation of the priorities of the Europe for Citizens Program and of Axis 2.
Signing of the Brotherhood Pact and execution of the hymns of the countries represented Twinning Buffet
Afternoon Round Table on: “Our Europe, Our Future”. Solutions and proposals to be adopted to face the challenges.
Italian Night
Day V – 08/12/2019
was dedicated to Seminar + Thematic Conference
Morning: H 10.00 Seminar “The Youth and the Europeans of Tomorrow”. Interaction and comparison on the possible European scenario in the aftermath of the elections for the European Parliament of 2019.
Lunch
Afternoon: 16.00 Thematic Conference “The European Union, an incomplete construction” debate on the process of European construction and enlargement.
H 20.30 Family Dinner and Music Show by local youth groups.
Day VI – 09/12/2019
was dedicated to Panel di Discussion + Workshop
H 10 Discussion and discussion “The future of Europe and the hopes of the Erasmus generation”, The mobility opportunities for young people that allow them to study and travel in Europe
Lunch
H 16 Workshop “Overcoming Euroscepticism through People’s Europe”, an analysis of the challenge of citizenship in the EU between political participation and institutional integration.
Dinner
Day VII – 10/12/2019
was dedicated to Partnership guidelines + Departure of project partner delegations
Plenary discussion on the orientations of the partnership:
- Strategic lines to take
- Proposals for Initiatives to be implemented, guaranteeing continuity so as not to interrupt the path undertaken.
- Networking
Departure of Foreign Participants
Mandanici Municipality (Italy)
Town Twinning project – Description
“Stop the Wide rise of Euroscepticism Thanks to Citizens’ Debate”
The Town Twinning Project “Stop the wide rise of Euroscepticism thanks to Citizens’ debate” promoted by the Municipality of Mandanici, was a project built in collaboration with several European municipalities with the aim of strengthening the sense of belonging to Europe in order to combat Europhobic feelings among citizens.
This meeting focused on the understanding and debate of Euro-skepticism from the point of view of the citizens, of the debate and understanding and of the discussion on pro-EU sentiments, in particular in relation to the elections for the renewal of the European Parliament in 2019 , which is the representative body of the political life of EU citizens. The event supported the brotherhood among the citizens involved and they were called to discuss and compare the priorities and the future of the European agenda.
The project involved the Municipalities of Mandanici (IT) Gmina Przygodzice (PL) Rois (ES) Lukovit (BG), Qrendi Local Council (MT), Község (HU) and Sissi (SE).
The event was held in Mandanici from 4 to 10 December 2019.
The activities were highly participatory and interactive by young people and citizens, with the organization of meetings, discussions and debates, capacity building, workshops, seminars, round tables, exchanges of best practices and other activities in order to develop citizenship active and encourage interactions between the citizens involved.
The project was addressed through a methodology of non-formal working in which the citizens and young people were the real actors of the project with their opinions, experiences and point of view. In this way Europe has become a more touchable and visible reality. Moreover the sign of brotherhood oath was an occasion to create a long lasting cooperation and a solid friendship and to assure that the citizens feel more European. Therefore, participants were encouraged to exchange opinions and best practices with the aim to formulate new ideas and concrete future proposals.
